Saturday 22 July and 29 July - Richmond Paddock
Crowd (29 July) - 500
Melbourne 1
South Yarra 1
Match drawn
Goalkicker: Andrew Fleming 1
20 played on each side, with Melbourne captained by Henry Harrison. After a controversy surrounding the practice of running with the ball in the match against Royal Park the previous Saturday the two captains agreed to implement the rule that players had to bounce the ball every 10 yards. They failed to fix a jumper clash that left players hard to distinguish. A windy afternoon also affected quality of play, as did cramped playing conditions that saw the ball often out of bounds, in the branches of a tree or a nearby cabbage garden.
For the first 30 minutes play was relatively tame as the two teams came to terms with the slippery field. Melbourne had the better of the early play, with two behinds to nil. The home side got the only goal of the day late in the piece courtesy of Fleming, but with darkness already falling they couldn't add a second before time expired. South Yarra had been denied an equaliser due to a shot on goal which looked as if it was going to go through hitting a tree branch.
With the Challenge Cup at stake, it was agreed that the match would continue the next Saturday. On the second afternoon, in what was described as the best play of the season, the field was in far better condition than the previous Saturday. This led to better kicking and less falls by players.
Henry Harrison could have won the game for Melbourne, but his accurate 50 yard place kick was kept out by the South Yarra goalkeeper. It was one of the few highlights for Melbourne, who found the suburban club in far better form than the previous weekend.
After 45 minutes of play a blunder by the Melbourne goalkeeper allowed South to score. He held on to the ball too long and kicked in panic when tackled, the ball landing with Balcombe from South who took advantage of the keeper being out of position by kicking the ball low through the goals.
After a short spell the two teams went to battle for the decisive third goal. Both teams had their chances, but South Yarra might have been unlucky not to be awarded a goal which many thought had crossed the line. Their own referee eventually ruled it out. No majors were recorded before the end of play and the game ended as a draw - with Melbourne retaining the Challenge Cup.
Best were Aitken, Treacy and Locke.
Selected team (22 July)
O'Brien, J. Campbell, D. Campbell, W. Campbell, Conway, Wardill, TW Wills, Aitken, Treacey, Davidson, Riggall, Darchy, Kennedy, Fleming, Harrison, Clarke, Ballantyne, Locke, Osborne, Serrell, Shiels, Wilkie, Irleand, Bennie
Team
W. Campbell, D. Campbell, J. Campbell, O'Brien, Conway, Wardill, Aitken, Treacey, Davidson, Riggall, Darchy, Kennedy, Fleming, Bruford, Harrison, Clarke, Ballantyne, Locke, Osborne, Serrell, Shiels, Wilkie, Ireland, Bennie
Notes
The 29/07 game may have been considered separate.
Media
Australasian - 22/07/1865
Argus - 24/07/1865
Australasian - 29/07/1865
Leader - 29/07/1865
Bell's Life - 29/07/1865
Argus - 31/07/1865
Australasian - 05/08/1865
Bells Life - 05/08/1865